The Second Avatar
by Malawni Nightengale
Summary: Wan has died and the world is changing. But what happened to Raava? No one knows, though they suspect she found a way back to the Spirit World. Meanwhile, an Airbender who lives in a village near Chameleon Bay, is struggling to feel she belongs. The visions she has sets her apart, and not in a good way. Her parents have run out of answers, and she is determined to find some.
1. Chapter 1

_This is the moment,_ Nima thought to herself. _This is the moment I finally become a part of the Air Nation._

"Nima, please rise." Master Choden called to her. Head bowed and still hooded, she rose slowly. Two other airbending masters filled the room with incense. They guided the air in circular motions around the temple room, letting the breeze brush the chimes that hung from the ceiling.

She could see her parents from just under the edge of her hood. They sat in the larger part of the room, smiling at her.

Master Choden approached her now. Behind him, Nima could see a young monk holding a wooden bowl filled with oil. The master stopped in front of her and pulled out a carved wooden necklace from his robes. He picked up her hand and laid the pendant onto her palm, letting the beaded cords drape on either side.

Nima looked up at him and grinned, though she wasn't sure he saw it. Being ten, her shoulder only came up to his waist and the hood hid most of her face.

"This necklace symbolizes your connection to the people of the Air Nation through birth." Master Choden lifted the hood off of her head, revealing a polygonal tattoo. It came down the center of her head, ending on her forehead where a single dot stood, directly on her light chakra. "These tattoos symbolize your connection to the air." He turned and dipped his hands into the oil the young monk was holding out to him. He placed his thumbs at the center of the tattoo on the crown of her head, where her thought chakra resided. With oil dripping from his fingertips, he traced the freshly inked skin. Dragging his thumbs to her forehead, he came to the bottom of her tattoo. Then he continued "- your connection to others who carry the gift of wind." He then dabbed a bit of oil on the dot before pulling his hands away.

"It has been an honor to anoint the head of one so young, Master Nima." Master Choden bowed in respect. Nima made a fist and clasped her other hand around it, bowing low in return.

Nima's younger sister, Tahna, ran into the room through the doorway that led outside. Squealing with glee, the six year old ran across the room and up the couple of steps that separated Nima from her parents.

"Nima's an airbender now!" Tahna shouted, her arms now tightly wrapped around her sister's waist.

"Tahna! Get down from there." Their mother reprimanded.

The little girl, still bouncing, climbed down the stairs and ran to her parents. Nima followed a few steps behind.

"Nima, why don't you take your sister outside. Maybe go play for a bit." Before they knew it, they were being scooted out the door.

The fresh air filled Nima's lungs as she stepped outside. She had found the fragrances inside the small temple to be overpowering.

Nima and her sister began to climb a trail even farther up the mountain. Well, it wasn't quite a mountain, but it was the biggest hill she had even seen. She could see for miles up there and it made her feel closer to her element. For once she could fly down from somewhere instead of flying up. Nima had always found falling to give a more exciting sensation that flying itself. Not that she would ever tell anyone that. She was strange enough as it was, she didn't need to add useless forms of airbending to the list.

"Nini, why'd you have to take all your hair out?" Tahna stared at Nima's head as she asked.

Nima had forgotten for a moment that she had a shaved head, and how strange she must look. She hadn't even seen her tattoo yet. The more she thought about it, the better she could feel the wind, respond to it. "Well," she began, "I had to take it off so that Master Choden could put these markings on the top of my head, where my hair would normally be."

Tahna scrunched up her nose the same way she always did when forced to drink tea. She still hadn't seemed to acquire a taste for it yet. "I won't do that. When I get my tattoo's, I'll just make them do it with my hair on."

"Good luck with that." She smiled at her little sister. Her and her beautiful, curly, chocolate brown hair. It would be a shame to cut off such beautiful locks. But, as far as Nima could tell, it was worth it.

The little girl hopped up to a swing on the side of the path. Putting her arms out, Nima picked her up and lifted her onto it. It was a small piece of wood suspended by two ropes attached to a strong oak tree. Pushing her sister back and forth, she let her mind wander. From the tree, to the ceremony, to the trip home, then she remembered. She had intended to ask her parents if they could make a detour on their journey home to The Great Canyon. This might be the closest she would ever get to it in her entire life!

Turning, she ran back down the path. "Tah, I'll be right back!" She yelled back towards her sister, still swinging back and forth.

She let the wind carry her feet faster down the trail. She approached the hut that had been converted into a temple. She slowed down, for fear she might be reprimanded just as her sister had been if she were to burst in running.

She could hear her father speaking "Nima's dreams have been getting worse though."

Nima stopped in her tracks at the mention of her name. She leaned closer to the doorway, but didn't dare step in front of it.

"What kinds of dreams?" It was the voice of Master Choden.

"Dreams with…" her father trailed off, a hint of embarrassment in his tone. "Dreams with Spirits in them." He continued.

"Spirits? Yonten, I think you're overreacting. Any child who has heard the stories of the dark spirits that plagued us so long ago is bound to have nightmares from time to time."

"But they aren't nightmares!" Nima's mother interrupted. "She was five when she first told us about them. It was one of the first times she successfully meditated with us. When we were finished, she told us she had been to see spirits." Her voice shook as she spoke. "We told her she must have fallen asleep and dreamed them up. But then she just insisted she had seen them, and said they were her friends."

"And when did this last take place?" Choden asked.

"Well, as she got older, the dreams got more elaborate. She started talking about visiting green fields with butterflies the size of huts! And she always spoke of a lake." Her mother continued.

"We stopped asking her about the dreams, or... visions, a couple years ago. We hoped that maybe she would stop thinking about them, and thus stop dreaming about them." Yonten added in.

"Yonten, Dawa, I want you to listen to me carefully. You need to ask her when her last spirit dream was. If she's still having them, have her shorten her meditation sessions. See if you can distract her from these dreams and keep her from seeing whatever it is she's envisioning. I've never heard of anything like this. And with Wan gone, I fear what the spirits might have in mind for that little girl."

Nima turned and started walking back down the path, her mind racing. _I always knew I was different,_ she thought, _but I didn't think I was alone. I can't be the only one who visits the Spirit World… I.. don't.. want to be special. I don't want to be different._


	2. Chapter 2

I think this is a wonderful idea, Nima!" Her mother exclaimed. "The Great Canyon is truly astonishing! I haven't seen it since I was a little girl."

"What about all the creepy crawly things?" Cried Tahna.

Their father smiled at the little girl. Picking her up, he threw her onto his shoulders and gently clasped his hand around her small ankles. "Well, those Canyon Crawlers don't stand a chance against four airbenders, should they choose to come near." He bounced her up and down as he walked.

"You mean three airbenders. I don't count. I don't have my tattoos yet.". Tahna crossed her little arms, pouting.

Nima laughed. "Tah, you're just as much an airbender without your tattoos as I am with! You and I are the same, even if you still have your hair and I don't." She winked at her younger sister.

Nima heard her mother sigh behind her as she spoke. Then she realized what she had done wrong. She called her and her sister the same. Tahna, however, was an ordinary airbender, exactly what any parents could hope for! Not to say that she wasn't talented, but that Nima was inevitably not that kind of child.

"So, how long until we get there?" Nima blurted, attempting to change the subject, though it was in vain.

"Not long." Her father said.

"Nima, honey, Could I talk to you for a moment?" Her mother asked.

"Oh," she exclaimed, acting surprised. "Sure."

They dropped back, allowing Tahna and her dad to travel ahead, to get some privacy.

I've been meaning to talk to you." her mother stated. She paused before speaking again. "It's about your...your dreams."

"What about them?" Nima asked nervously. She hated whenever her parents brought this up. She fought with herself constantly over it. She hated feeling like an outsider, and anytime this came up, that's how her parents made her feel, even if they didn't mean to. But she loved the mystery the other world brought. It was so colorful, joyful, and new!

"Your father and I spoke with Choden, and we think these visions might not be safe."

"Not safe?"

Her mother's brows furrowed. "Yes. Master Choden thinks spirits may be trying to penetrate our world once more...through you."

 _That is totally absurd!_ Nima thought to herself. _I should have stayed for the rest of her conversation with Choden._

"Wan sent the spirits away for good reason. And he's been gone for eleven years now. Choden says they may be trying to enter our world through other means."

Nima was speechless. Had her mother never heard her properly? The spirits loved their home! At least, all the spirits she'd seen..or visited. She wasn't sure exactly how her visions worked.

"So," her mother continued, "your father and I have come up with some methods to ward off these dream. We'll start-"

"But mom, I haven't had these dreams for months, probably over a year now!" She lied.

Her mom looked taken aback. "Well, why didn't you bring this up before?"

"You stopped asking, so I figured you knew. I thought maybe I'd told you and then forgotten." She only hoped her mother would believe her.

"Then the rest doesn't matter." Dawa smiled so brightly that Nima's heart only sank lower. Her mother would never understand her, and if she did, she'd probably be afraid of her. Nima's visions had only gotten deeper.

"Look! We're here!" Her mother beamed.

"I don't see it, and where'd dad and Tahna go?" Nima looked around but didn't see anything except tall bushes.

"Here, follow me." Her mother and her together blew apart the bushes just enough for them to pass through, where they joined her father and sister.

Before them was the most magnificent piece of land she'd ever laid eyes on.


	3. Chapter 3

All you could see for miles was cliffs and walls of orange stone, pillars of rock shooting high above the floor of the Canyon. Along the ground were bizarre formations of earth, creating a maze.

"It's beautiful." Nima breathed in awe.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was as if the atmosphere itself had shifted. Something was drawing her into the Canyon. It was so powerful and yet, it was as if she'd felt something like this once before, though she couldn't remember where. Here, there was energy. She could feel it. It prickled her skin, it sent a sort of shiver up her spine. It made her feel light, even though the air around her seemed heavy. And still it was all nothing but a feeling...or an emotion?

"Well," Her father's interrupted, "this is where it happened."

Tahna, still sitting on her dad's shoulders, pulled his forehead upward so she could look him curiously in the eye. "Where what happened, Daddy?" She asked.

"The Battle of the Great Spirits!"

"You mean Vatu and Rava?" Nima asked, astonished.

"Yes. When Vatu first traveled over from the Spirit World, he brought other spirits with him and took control of the land. Rava eventually found him, and the two began battling the fate of our world. A fight that lasted until Wan divided them. Parts of our world suffered because of them. Animals were forced to flee and valleys or whole forests were destroyed. No one really knows what this use to be, only that the battle was so disastrous it carved out this entire canyon. Spirits are dangerous, and only brought turmoil to our world, that's why Wan sent them away after defeating Vatu."

Nima's father gave her a glance at his last sentence. She couldn't help but feel guilty.

What if her parents were right. What if all the good spirits she'd met were really only using her? She couldn't believe that though. After all, Wan was friends with Spirits, and Rava only wanted what was best for our world.

"This seems a great spot for meditation!" Her mother broke the silence. "Dear, why don't you and I fly over to the top of that pillar?"

"That sounds amazing!" Nima exclaimed.

"Actually Nima, I was hoping you could play with Tahna. I wouldn't feel safe bringing her up there."

"That's not fair!" Tahna yelled.

"Tahna!" Her mother objected. "You certainly are not to speak that way, and you will be staying here with you sister on safe ground."

"But I just got my tattoos." Nima complained. " And this is such a spiritual place! This might be the only time I ever get to be here."

"It's no more spiritual than our meditation room at home. You will do as I've said." And with that, her mother and father gracefully flew over to the nearest pillar to sit and meditate.

Both girls stood and stared in disbelief. Nima was sure this was because her mother hadn't believed her story. If she had to babysit, she wouldn't have an opportunity to accidentally see spirits. _As spiritual as our meditation room, yeah right!_ She thought to herself. _I can feel the difference! And I bet you can too!_ Irritation and resentment began to take hold.

Nima sat down and closed her eyes. If her parents were meditating, they wouldn't notice if she was too.

"Nima, you're supposed to play with me." Tahna whined.

She opened one eye to look at her sister. "Quiet, I'm trying to concentrate. Besides, some rest and meditation would do you some good. You're old enough to be doing this without our mother having to tell you to."

Tahna sat down and huffed while Nima closed her eye and tried to refocus.

She took deep breaths trying to clear her mind; but, then the light behind her lids faded and all was dark. For a moment, sound and light didn't exist.

Nima woke up.


	4. Chapter 4

Light stung Nimas eyes as she blinked them open. Everything was so bright, so green.

Nima stood up to get a better view over the hills. And there it was, the lake that always appears in these visions. She ran down and over hills, but before she knew it, it was already in front of her. Across the lake she could see someone, she was certain of it.

"Hey!" She called out, but nobody called back, or even moved.

Frustrated, she started to walk around the lake. But no matter what she did, the person always seemed to stay the exact same distance from her, though they never really moved. All she could see was the back of them anyway. Nima contemplated for a while whether it was a person at all. It could just be a tree. But still, she never seemed to get closer.

Something tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh, it's you again!" She turned to see a beautiful gigantic butterfly creature with glowing purple and gold wings. She'd met this butterfly nearly every time she'd visited this place. It never spoke, but she always felt a strong connection to it.

"You're right, I should just leave the tree person alone." And with that, she turned around and ran back over the hills into a forest, the butterfly keeping close behind her.

The forest had lots of small spirits that drifted between trees. Every once in awhile, a spirit would nod in her direction, and some even stopped to say "good day". Others lurked behind bushes or branches and stared at her in curiosity. But it was a peaceful place nonetheless.

She followed the path until it came to a creek. The water looked so blue.

Nima jumped onto a dry rock in the middle of the creek, sat down, crossed her legs and stared into the water. There were rocks and occasionally a spirit fish. She could hear the rustle of trees around her and feel the gentle breeze. Everything around her was at peace.

"Nima, wake up!" Nima heard someone scream from a distance. She was disoriented. Her head throbbed and she couldn't open her eyes. But, her arm and face burned. _Why does it burn? Come on Nima, wake up. What is going on?_ She was frantic now.

"Ahhhhhh!" She could hear her sister scream. But it was so close to her this time.

Nima finally jerked her eyes opened. She was on her side laying on the ground. Her arm really did sting, as did the left side of her face. She looked up in time to see her sister clutching her leg. A snake, at least 15 ft long had its head raised facing Tahna. Blood dripped from its fangs.

With her heart racing, Nima jumped to her feet and tried to air blast the snake off the side of the cliff. The snake landed a few yards from the edge. How had she gotten way over here? Without another thought, she ran for the beast. Focusing all her energy into her finger tips, she sent a very thin slice of air, cutting the snake's face. And with a big gust of wind she sent it flying over the edge.

Regaining the rest of her consciousness, she ran back to her sister.

Tahna was whimpering uncontrollably, still clinging to her leg and shaking.

"Let me see it, Tah." Nima tried to say gently. With difficulty, she pried her sister's fingers off the bloody leg. There were the two punctures as Nima had expected and yet was terrified to see. Tahna's leg was already starting to turn green around the wounds. The two girls were both crying now.

"Mom! Dad! We need help!" Nima shrieked. How were they not here already?

"Mom! Dad!" She yelled again as she turned around. Her parents were still on the pillar they'd been meditating on, but now they were fighting off Canyon Crawlers.

Nima tore off part of her tunic and wrapped it around the wound. "Tahna, stay calm, stay calm. Mom-" Nima's voice broke. "Mom and Dad will be here soon. Just-just stay awake." Tahna's face was going pale. "Tanha, just stay awake...do you hear me? Please stay awake."


	5. Chapter 5

It had taken them four days to get back home and Tahna had only gotten worse. The green poison had spread through most of her torso during their travel.

Nima paced back and forth in front of their hut. The village healer, a waterbender, was inside attempting to extract the poison from Tahna's body.

"This is all my fault. This is all my fault." Nima muttered to herself. "How could I have been so stupid? Why didn't I listen?" Tear stains were visible through the dust and dirt that coated her face.

She whipped around as the door creaked open. "Nima, you'd better get in here." The healer said.

The airbender flew through the door without hesitation.

And there she was, beautiful curls and all. Tahna's breathing was loud and raspy and the poison had visibly spread up through her neck and part of her face. Her struggle for breath was almost unbearable.

She rushed to her sister's side, her parents stood on the other side of the bed. She was slightly relieved to see that Tahna was sleeping for she looked much more peaceful now than she had on the road.

"You'd best say your goodbyes now." The healer said.

Nima felt her her heart jolt. "Wait, why?" She demanded. "There must be something you can do for her!"

The healer's face grew solemn. "Anything I do for her will only prolong her life by hours. And they'll only grow more painful."

She felt as though she had just taken a fatal blow. Tahna had so much life left in her a week ago. Now, one could see it being slowly taken from her inch by inch.

Nima gripped her sister's hand. "Tanha…" She began, but nothing more came out..

It'd been hours since Nima entered the hut. Time was moving so slowly, yet they could only pray for more as the watched the little girl slowly slipping away from them. The healer would walk in and out of the room bringing hot towels and making the sick little girl as comfortable as possible. Tahna hadn't so much as opened her eyes. Her family remained still, unable to break away from the little girl for even a second.

Nima felt Tahna curl her fingers around Nima's hand and a slight smile formed on the little girl's face. Nima sat up, waiting for her sister to open her eyes, to tell her how sorry she was. Insead, Tahna's hand went limp again.

It was late, and the waterbender had come in at one point saying she thought Tahna might make it til the morning. Nima was barely awake anymore. The adrenaline during their travel home was gone and the crying had exhausted her.

Though she couldn't wrap her head around it, she knew that she only had a few moments left with her sister. And she didn't...want..to miss…...a second….of.

Nima awoke to her mother's screams. What was happening?

She lifted her head which had been laying next to Tahna's hand. Her mother was wailing uncontrollably. And Tahna...beautiful Tahna was now a pale green.

Desperate, she grabbed both of Tahna's arms. "No, Tahna!" Nima cried out, shaking her sister. "You can't go yet!"

Their mother clung to their father, her face buried in his shoulder. The two wept for the loss of their favorite daughter. The one who had such potential, the daughter who wasn't plagued by dreams that caused devastation and grief.

Nima ran from the room, out the door and into the night. Her side ached and the ground dug into her feet. Still, she kept running, never stopping for breath or rest, her thoughts racing faster than her legs. If only she hadn't visited the spirits, she could have prevented all this. She felt so undeserving of the tattoos she'd been given. She wasn't a master. If she had been, she would have been wise enough to stay away from the spirits, to focus on this world. Not theirs!

Reaching the mouth of Chameleon Bay, the young airbender jumped down the cliff onto the sand. She barely caught herself at the bottom, almost wishing for the pain of landing from such a height.

Her head ached as she walked to the shore. Her limbs were numb as she crumpled onto the sand. Straightening herself, she crossed her legs, sitting just beyond the waves reach. She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. Trying to set it all aside, just for a moment.

Why didn't I listen? No, don't think… Why did I have to be such a failure? Clear your mind! Listen to the waves, how they come and go. I should never have suggested seeing the canyon in the first place. Stop! Stop thinking! Listen to the trees on the cliff. The leaves are moving gently. Let the sound calm-

She broke. Unable to hold it in anymore, she writhed through the sand, wailing and screaming so loudly it echoed around the bay. It was as if everything was being squeezed out of her all at once . Her chest ached beyond belief. She thrashed around, shrieking, hardly breathing between wails.

It wasn't til the stars were at their brightest that she finally calmed. She was hiccuping now, and her eyes were bloodshot. She lifted a hand to wipe the sand from her eyes, but it was cold and wet.

Her whole hand and arm were coated in water.

She bolted upright. Water fell off her entire body and sank into the sand. She stared open-mouthed as it seeped away beneath her. She lifted her hand again and peered at it. What was that? Water never moved on it's own like that, didn't cling the way it had to her, not unless it was being controlled. Baffled, she looked around for someone, a waterbender perhaps, but she was completely alone.

If not a person, what if it was a spirit? She'd heard of the spirits of the moon and ocean, of Tui and La. The waterbenders in her village used to talk about them. What if La had taken pity on her? If he'd sent his ocean to comfort her?

She would never mention it to her parents. If they found out spirits might be sending her things they'd be terrified! Seeing spirits alone made her a freak. What would this mean?

No, she would never mention this to anyone. In fact, if she could, she would forget it ever happened.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I haven't written in so long. Like two years. I have lots of chapters planned out for this story but I've written this chapter over and over and could never get what I wanted until now. I set this story aside after my third attempt and worked on other things. I thought maybe I wouldn't continue writing it, but I really love the concept I developed for the second avatar and decided I would give it another shot.**

 **Let me know what you think! I'll try and have the next chapter soon!**

* * *

"You wouldn't believe the changes they've made to the Wan Festival." A smile tugged at the corners of Nima's mouth as she spoke, but failed in concluding any sort of happiness. "There's a whole show put on where the airbenders and waterbenders perform together in a sort of dance with their element. Last year they made it snow over the entire festival as their grand finale." She absentmindedly brushed away the grass that collected on her skirt. "You would have loved it. Mother and father didn't approve of course, but that's to be expected."

She ran her fingers along the top of a smooth stone embedded in the ground. The rock that marked the spot. Her spot.

"You know Tah, I was thinking the other day; since you would have turned eleven a few months ago, you might finally have had to cut off all of your hair and receive your tattoos. I remember you telling me you were going to find a way to keep your hair and get—well, obviously it was rather silly and impossible for you to think that. You did look pretty determined though. And I bet…" She let her thought whisk away with the wind; it hardly mattered what she said or didn't say, it was only a grave.

The flowers nearby were white and in full bloom, unlike most flowers these grew in the fall; she plucked one and placed it on the small rock. Even if none of this mattered, if nothing mattered, this small meadow with the stone did have a soothing effect on her and that was worth a small something even if it was short lived.

"Bye Tahna," she got to her feet, "don't know when I'll be back but; well I suppose you'll be here either way. Sort of."

She walked out of the field toward the trees, towards home.

Five years separated her from her sister's death. It wasn't a long time, but time being relative, Nima found it easy to push it into a different lifetime—seeing her sister as a fond memory from ages past.

Tahna, however, had been the only one who never feared or shunned her for the strange visions Nima experienced. An easy explanation though—Tahna was simply too young to understand what they meant, or could mean. Nobody truly knew, not even Nima, but she didn't mind that fact.

The village buzzed with excitement and laughter as she arrived. Everyone flitted about decorating their homes with leaves and ribbons while others set up the streets with games and booths, the stage at the center of it all.

Ordinarily this would beckon any child to join in the excited anticipation of the annual celebration of Wan's victory over Vatu, the spirit of darkness. Conveniently, everyone ignored the fact that this defeat was only made possible because of Raava; the spirit of light fused herself with Wan in the last moments of battle to save both human and spirit worlds. Nima, however, found it easy to ignore the temptations of such an event and slipped past the streets through the alleyway that led to her family's hut.

She nearly got away with it too, save for the one villager who caught her just as she approached the door.

"Hey Nima," he called out. "You ready for that rematch tonight?" The young man jogged across the street in effort of forcing her into making conversation.

"Sorry Kesuk, I wasn't planning on going tonight." She replied, smiling purely out of politeness.

"What?" He gasped. "Everyone joins in the festival!"

"Everyone does is not the same as everyone has to." She crossed her arms.

"Fine, don't come to the whole festival, but I've been preparing an entire year for this rematch and I know I finally have the drop on you! So come out for the one game at least and let me prove to myself that I have what it takes to beat you." His grin was a mischievous one.

She reached for the door prepared to decline and remove herself from the conversation, but the idea of him preparing a whole year and still losing to her felt deliciously entertaining.

"And if you win, I will owe you any favor, that you can call in any time." He added.

That didn't raise her interest by any means, but arguing appealed even less. She breathed in deeply. "Fine, I'll come for the rematch, but only to prove your effort was meaningless."

He smirked. "See you then." He walked off with an air of accomplishment, as if he'd already won the competition. It irritated her.

She slipped inside the hut without any further interruptions, though now with new, disruptive evening plans.

Kesuk wasn't all that bad to hang around. He was the closest thing to what she might call a friend, though most of their time was spent practicing bending. His entire family were waterbenders and it was his mother that tried to heal Tahna. Nobody knows where they are from, and they've skirted all questions about any of the events that took place in getting to this village six years ago; but rumor has it they come from a land of endless snow and ice.

Dusk had passed and the village glowed, the sparkling lanterns lined the streets with not a single person too busy to be out and enjoying them. Sections of road were blocked off, dedicated to children's games, others lined with stands handing out masks and ribbons, pinwheels or ice globes containing prizes inside. And the centerpiece of it all, the grand feast cultivating the celebration.

"You have to admit," Kesuk urged, "I was at least some decent competition. At least during that last round!"

They passed by a gift stand and in one quick motion Nima seized an ice globe. "If it will make you feel better," she replied, her voice soft as usual, "I can pretend you were."

"No, that would not make me feel better." He articulated each word, exasperated.

"Then no, you weren't really." A strong satisfaction washed over her in reaffirming her victory, but it didn't last. It was pleasing to prove herself right, his effort hadn't been worth it, but she had this nagging feeling he never actually practiced at all and she found the whole thing offensive.

Her fingers tingled under the ice globe and she passed it from hand to hand, attempting to stave off the numbness.

"You know, you don't have to wait for it to melt if you don't want to. I could speed up the process."

She glanced up at him, noticing the light reflecting off his jet black hair. "What would be the point of that?" She asked, her gaze drifting back to the ball of ice.

"Well," he took the globe and tossed it in the air catching it after each throw, "your fingers won't be cold anymore, and you won't have to wait to enjoy what's inside." She continued to stare at the prize in his hand, the frost keeping it's contents a mystery. "I can already tell you'll like it." he added.

"How do you know?" She snatched the globe back.

"Because I can feel what's in there."

"That's ridiculous." She retorted.

"I'm not making it up. Unlike air, water is a solid enough substance that I can actually feel it's shape. So I don't have to see it to know it's contents."

She thought for a moment. When she was younger, Tahna and her would each get a globe at the end of the festival and set them in bowl at home. They'd stay up late into the night guessing what gifts might be waiting for them when they woke up. One year they both got some miniature Wan dolls and another year Nima found a necklace with a pendant that looked like a flame. Tahna only got two small six-sided dice that year which had the four bending elements, the letter "W" for Wan and "S" for Spirit. Each player had a die and they would keep tallies of who won each roll. They played 15 rounds and whoever had more tallies won. "W" was the best because Wan beat everything, then it was fire, then air, after that water, then earth and the worst was "S". It lost to everything. It was a fun game to pass the time, but Tahna who had gotten it the previous year was disappointed not to receive something new. Reluctantly, Nima had traded the necklace for the dice. That was the last festival she spent with Tah, and the tradition lost it's appeal after that.

"I don't have to," Kesuk's voice cut across her thoughts, "I just thought you might like to have it for the festival, you know?" He shrugged and slid his hands into his pockets.

Nima paused one last time to look at it, then let the memory slip away as just that, a memory.

"Are you sure you won't break what's inside?" She held the globe out to him.

"Yes," he stopped walking and turned to face her, "I've told you before, I'm most skilled with ice."

Rather than taking it from her, he placed his hand on top of it. A loud crack made Nima flinch; but before she could pull away the ice shattered into thousands of tiny pieces that fell away from her hand. The sound was that of tinkling crystals and the remainder melted away at her touch leaving an armlet in the palm of her hand. Whether it was supposed to be a symbol for water or air she wasn't sure, for it had three swirling motions almost in a triangle which could easily be symbols for wind or waves.

"Here," he put out his hand, "let me put it on."

She handed it to him and let him fasten the beaded cords around her arm.

"Now you're ready for the festival!"

Nima outlined the symbol with her fingers. This was probably the most interesting thing she'd ever found in an ice globe, though in five years people certainly had time to get more creative.

Kesuk cleared his throat. "Speaking of the festival, I'm starving. Have you eaten yet?"

Nima glanced at him. "I'm not going to the festival, remember?"

"Well yeah, but now that you're out here you may as well enjoy what's left of it."

Nima had let him drag her into the festivities after their rematch though mostly because she didn't have much of an excuse for missing out. And she didn't find it unpleasant as she had expected, but walking with Kesuk made her feel very conscious of the people watching her. When she walked alone she could slip around the edges of the village, ignored because she kept to herself and wasn't bothering anyone or potentially "cursing" someone with her spirit-y powers as the kids like to say. None of that was true, but there were a lot of reasons when she did spend time practicing bending with Kesuk that it was done miles from the village. He didn't understand, he hadn't been around long enough to know her as a child, the child the villagers feared.

"Come on, we'll grab something to eat and then take it up to the trees over there and watch the performance!"

She let him drag her through the streets toward the feast.

They passed all sorts of children's games and some of his family members as they walked. She could have swore she saw his oldest brother watching her every movement. She ignored him, as she did everyone else, but the voice of a small boy caught her attention. He was yelling, "Die spirit, die!" She turned around in time to see him playing in one of the games. He was earthbending small rocks, throwing them at misshapen wooden figures to try and knock them down. Nima found herself glaring at him, though he never noticed. She hadn't allowed herself to think of spirits in ages, but something about what that little boy screamed turned her stomach.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Kesuk looked from her face to the little boy. "You aren't still on about spirits are you?" He chuckled slightly, "I've heard stories about how you use to run around the village 'playing' with spirits and telling everyone how they were your friends an-" He shut up after Nima turned to glare at him rather than the boy.

"I think I'm going to head home." She didn't raise her voice, but it was still saturated with furry.

"Wait, Nima, I didn't mean anything by it! You should still at least enjoy the festival." But it was too late, Nima had already slipped into the shadows.


	7. Chapter 7

I finished another chapter already! I'm hoping to have another one done sometime by the end of this week. Let me know what you think!

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Nima strolled, staff in hand, along the path her and Kesuk made over the last few years on their way to the beach. The woods running between the bay and village were dense, preventing any carts from passing through and forcing the villagers to travel a few miles south for their trade. The land surrounding the village was thick with clay which the water and earth benders worked together to dig up and sell. Kesuk started working at the clay deposits three years ago, and on his days off he and Nima would head to the beach.

A young saber-tooth moose lion trailed a few paces behind her nudging her back and craning it's neck for attention.

Sunlight burst at the edge of the woods as girl and beast arrived at the cliffside. "Sorry buddy, I have to leave you here." She stroked the end of his nose a few more times before jumping off the edge.

Barefoot, Nima jogged across the white sand burning her feet. Kesuk already stood at the shoreline in his trunks.

"You're here early!" Nima shouted.

"Or you're just late!" He yelled back. "And unprepared…" He gave her a once over. "Where's your swimsuit?"

In a light pant she replied, "I'm not wearing one today. Because I'm not going to fall in this time." She came up next to him and dropped her staff in the sand. "And if I'm late it's because I brought San with me today." She pointed to the top of the cliff.

Kesuk jerked back nearly tripping into the water and stared at the beast, slack-jawed. "Nima, it's a–"

"My saber-tooth moose lion." She finished for him and squatted next to the staff she'd made. "He won't hurt anybody." Carefully she let the fans out from their hidden compartments and locked them in place. "My family found him abandoned as a baby nine months ago."

"You mean he's not fully grown?" He asked in disbelief.

Nima nodded and continued fiddling with her winged contraption.

"Hey Nima," Kesuk folded his arms as he approached her, "before I forget I just wanted to say I'm really sorry for what I said a few weeks back. At the festival. I was just joking around–I didn't realize it… it was a sensitive topic for you." He piled wet sand from one foot to the other. "I'm actually surprised you came today."

Nima finished strapping her feet onto the staff in the middle of her now 'air-surfer'. "Okay." She bent her knees and kicked off toward the sky.

The waterbender shrugged, it wasn't a completely unexpected answer coming from her. With a swipe of his hand, he turned the next wave into a small sheet of ice and jumped on, gliding out into the open water. Nima circled above, swooping back and forth toward the water's surface, building up the wind to create waves.

The game began.

She knelt on her glider and spun, tightly, straight down in a dive. Faster and faster she spiraled pushing the water out in all directions—the closer to the water, the larger the waves.

Her head spinning, she pulled out to level her glider and floated on a warm breeze. She regained vision just in time to see Kesuk climbing out of the water onto his iceboard. "You fell already?" She shouted, swooping low toward him.

He teetered on the board as he stood up, the waves still unsettled. "You normally save that move for last!" He yelled back. "I wasn't warmed up!" He fell backwards again, caught off-guard by the latest wave.

Something burned in Nima's belly until it rose up and burst into laughter. Real laughter! Something about flying brought out the unexpected in her. The wind, the chill, seeing for miles and miles, the feeling of falling that tickled in the middle, reality didn't exist anymore. It was freedom, and so she let herself laugh.

Kesuk boarded the ice once more and propelled himself forward. Moving swiftly he began shooting pillars of water toward the sky. Nima weaved between the juts of water, avoiding so much as a splash. But something cold gripped her ankle, halting her in mid-air and dragging her toward the ocean. With a swipe of her hand, the ice shattered and she was free of it's grip.

"Whoa! Where'd that come from?" He bellowed.

Nima swooped in, stopping to hover upside down in front of him. The airbender held her hand up. "Rather than one sharp slice like last time and being stuck with ice you could control still wrapped around my ankle," fanning out her fingers she explained, "I created five thinner slices, shattering the ice instead."

"Like a claw...clever, when did you come up with that?"

"Last night." She smirked. "I came prepared."

They spent the rest of the afternoon in the same fashion – attempting to knock each other into the water. The sun beat down, soaking Nima's clothes with sweat. She almost wanted to let Kesuk succeed just once so she could cool off at least, but she wasn't wearing anything suitable for swimming and she'd left her hair in it's usual braid.

They took breaks every once in awhile to relax on the beach and for Nima to give San the attention he constantly begged for.

The horizon lost it's ball of light and was left with pink and purples clouds along the skyline. "One more." Kesuk called out.

"Sure," she shouted, "but you haven't gotten me all day!" Whizzing by his head she took off again toward the sky. Dodging towers of water and the occasion ice block Kesuk threw, Nima forced herself to use up the last of her energy. He was really pushing her limit and she glanced at him, attempting to read his movements. Out the corner of her eye though, she saw something break the surface of the water, then sink back down just feet from his board.

"Kesuk! Look out!" She screamed.

She turned to rush toward him, but instantly everything became a blur. She was being swallowed up by one of Kesuk's pillars of water and she could feel herself plummeting as gravity pulled the water back to it's body. Struggling to keep from flipping, her heart raced. She had to get out! Something was in the water.

Nima clapped her hands together above her head, using the glider to push against the flow, she dove out of the pillar at an angle, still heading straight for the ocean. Only having enough time to gasp for one breath, she took in all the air she could. With her hands around her mouth as if to shout, she released it, keeping herself airborne long enough to flip upright, level out and keep flying.

She clambered up in time to see something big and grey clasping Kesuk's leg as he fell into the ocean.

Her chest pounded and heaved. Her hands shook violently, her mind raced – this seemed all too familiar, and all she could do was hover and stare, her sister's face flashing before her, so full of terror. Something flickered somewhere deep. A suppressed rage boiled inside her and she clenched her fist, regaining control over her body. This would not turn out like last time.

Nima swooped low, ready to drag him to shore if she had to. Arms out she felt a strength and power she'd never felt before as she rushed forward. She kept close to the water heading towards Kesuk's last location. Energy rushed through her, she was getting closer, but something overshadowed her.

A monstrous wave had built up behind and above her, ready to crash over and crush every bone in her body. She nearly froze in terror. Adrenaline rushing, she pulled up, narrowly escaping the arc at the top.

The wave passed over the beach and smashed against the cliff, shaking the ground and scaring all wildlife from the premises. When the water sloshed back into the bay, Kesuk was left on the beach, looking like a rag doll.

Nima raced forward. Please be alive! Please be alive!

She struggled at stay upright. Her body ached and shore felt miles away.

Something broke through the water in front of her, coming straight toward her head. Instinctively she threw her arms in front of her face and clenched her fists, squeezing her eyes shut. This couldn't be it though, she had to save Kesuk.

Nothing, and then a loud splash and she felt the spray of salty water on her legs. She lowered her arms and opened her eyes to see an eel-shark drift beneath her glider, it's head floating, frozen in jagged ice. But she didn't have time to sit and stare.

She sped once more toward her friend. Approaching the beach, Nima unlatched her feet from the glider and jumped off to land next to him, tumbling slightly. She fumbled to find signs of life; they were there but he was going pale. The gashes inside his left leg and foot were covered in bloody sand. She pulled the sash from her waist and tore it in half; using one half to wipe off as much sand she possibly could before tossing it into the ocean, she used the other to bandage his leg well enough to hopefully get him back to the village.

San was gone, so there was no hope of him carrying Kesuk home. If she flew him into the village her parents without a doubt would discover her misuse of bending. But what did that matter now, she had to get him back to his mother – she could heal him. She had to.


End file.
